Few years ago, the idea of cars driving by themselves would have been something of a fancy but here we are, in 2017, already reading about various development in the field of autonomous cars. We have come so far with respect to technology that the threats of autonomous car being hacked are already looming over us. It is always better to be well equipped to deal with the worst case scenario and this is exactly what few countries are doing to deal with crimes caused by hacking of autonomous vehicles. Countries have become alert about the potential chaos it might cause and hence, are implementing strict legislations in place to curb this danger.

United Kingdom: The UK government has put in place new legislations that require carmakers to build defenses around cyber security of new vehicles, especially the autonomous ones. UK is amongst the first countries to sanction automotive cyber security laws, releasing a list of ‘eight principles’ that every automaker must adhere. The new Autonomous and Electric Vehicles Bills aims to curb hacking into cars and stealing of data, partial or complete take over of the vehicle which could lead to murder, kidnap, or injury of people. Our cars are becoming smarter and self-driving technology will revolutionise the way in which we travel,” said UK Transport Minister Lord Callanan. “Risks of people hacking into the technology might be low, but we must make sure the public is protected. Whether we’re turning vehicles into wi-fi-connected hotspots or equipping them with millions of lines of code to become fully automated, it’s important that they are protected against cyber attacks.”

Australia: Autonomous vehicles testing has begun in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia. The government is debating over how to approach the complexity and “connectedness” of vehicles and are soon to release their own guidelines about the case.

The United States of America: A leaked FIB report in 2014 contained alarming information of terrorists using remotely operated vehicles as a medium for their missions. The U.S. Congress is negotiating guidelines implementing stern cyber security to protect vehicles from unpredicted software vulnerabilities and from being hacked to gain access to cars. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is taking lead in vehicular cyber security and is investigating solutions to curb potential cyber attacks, which are taking advantage of connected and self-driving vehicles. Automotive giants like BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla vie to be the first to develop a fully automated vehicle.

Audi’s A8 limousine offers Level 3 autonomy, which means that it can assume complete control on certain roads up to the speed of 60km/h. but the driver will have to be at attention to resume control within certain amount of time.BMW’s 2021 iNext will offer a 3.5 Level of autonomy. The car would drive itself at all speeds in all road conditions but a driver would be required to take control when the need be, which means that the driver won’t be able to sleep.

Automakers are investing huge amount of money in research and development of autonomous vehicles. With self driving cars becoming an actual possibility we have to be careful about all the vice it could bring.